Shoe and heel therefor



June 9, 1925. 1,541,320

F. R. BRIGGS ET AL SHOE AND HEEL THEREFOR Filed July 19, 1922 PatentedJune 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES I assess PATENT series.

FRANK R. BRIGGS AND GEORGE T. MGLEOD, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, AS-SIGNORS TO THOMAS G. PLANT COMPANY, OF ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, A COB.-

IPORATION OF MASSACEIUSET S.

SHOE AND HEEL THEREFOR.

Application fi1ed.Ju1y 19,

T 0 all whom it'ma y concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK R. Bnrees and GEORGE T. MoLEoD, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Brookline, in the county of Norfolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Shoes andHeels Therefor, of which the following description, in connection withthe accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on thedrawings representing like parts.

Our present invention relates to shoes, and more particularly to animproved shoe structure having a novel form of heel construction.

In the art of manufacturing boots and shoes it is very desirable toprovide astructure which will incorporate in a shoe an arch supportingfeature, and heretofore this has been attempted by making individual andspecially formed shank stiffeners, arch supports, orthopedic heels ofvarying shapes and thicknesses and the like. Thus for example oddlyshaped heels having an extended portion at the inside of the shoe havebeen made, and suchheels having greater thickness at the inner or archpart of each shoe have been tried, in order to supply an arch supportingor orthopedic feature to the shoe itself. Such prior devices, however,have been unsatisfactory, and ungainly in appearance, as well asexpensive, distorting the shoe, or distorting the heel, either byexcessive length at one side or excessive thickness, produce anill-shapen and undesirable appearing shoe.

In our present invention we have obviated the difficulties above brieflyoutlined and have provided a shoe structure with an arch supportingfeature enabling the shoe and the heel to be of normal size, attractivedesign, uniform thickness and extent, utilizing a straight or curvedheel breast as desired, and yet to produce an arch supporting effect byvarying the resiliency afforded by the heel structure.

We have devised a shoe with a resilient heel wherein the outer edgeportion of the heel, i. e., the right hand portion for the heel on theright shoe and the left hand portion for the heel on the left shoe, isof greater, or double, resiliency than the inner and forward portion.This feature produces important results in that the 1922. Serial No.576,105.

greater resilient portion is usually the first to take the jar oflanding on each step during walking and thus provides resiliency whereit is needed, whereas the other portion of the heel can be made to givea rigid supporting feature by being of less resiliency. In other words,the greatest yield is desired at the outer and rear section of the heelwhereas the greatest compression is desired at the inner and forwardsection of the heel. Our invention accomplishes this result. Thus we soform our present improved shoe and heel that the outside portion will beof greater resiliency than the inner side of the heel, viz: that partnext the greater curve of the arch in the shoe, which may be partiallynon-resilient or of less resiliency compared with the outer portion ofthe heel. This construction allows the foot of the wearer, and eachfoot, during walking, to effect an automatic or self-seating pressureupon the shoe heel, giving an arch supporting result along the lesserresilient portion of the heel and side, while affording greater, or evendouble, resiliency on the outer edge where the jar of walking is felt.Thus we secure the effect of an orthopedic heel having greater thicknessor greater length, without, however, distorting either side, length, orappearance of the shoe and heel, and therefore combining theseadvantages in a desirable way with an attractive appearance and economyof construction. By making our heel of uniform and standard size, it maybe readily applied, and the shoe built without special operations,machines or hand appliances.

Furthermore, an important feature consists in the economy of materialused, as well as in the utilization of present standard methods of bootand shoe manufacture in applying the heel thereto.

In carrying out our invention we may form a heel partly of one thicknessof resilient material, such as rubber or rubber composition, and partlyof another thickness, or partly of non-elastic material, relatively withthe resilient'portion. ,Thus we may form our shoe and heel with a rubberand fiber section, preferably building and molding the heel with thesevarying substances, so that a complete heel is supplied for the heelattaching operation in building the sh L me-wood, or hard vul an zed;

relatively non-elastic section or portion of the heel. Preferably, alsothis non-elastic portionwill be covered by a resilient toplift, or maybe covered by a portion of the resilient section of the heel, making thesame integral, either method and article being feasible in carrying outour invention, and both being included in the broader of the claimsherein. Where a separate toplift is used, the same can be renewed andrepaired by the simple addition of such cushioning layer,'and thusthe"life o'f the heel and the usefulness of the shoe can be prolongedwithout requiring the necessity of removing the entire heel.

Further objects and advantages of our present invention will be morefully pointed out and claimed.

Referringzto the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention,

*Fig. 1 illustrates a plan View of our improved heel;

Fig. '2 *is a eross sectional view dine 22 .otfFig. 1;

Fig. 3 {is a similar cross-sectional view with the relativelynon-resilient section removed; and

{Fig '4- is a cross-sectional view illustrating-the s'hoe heel in layerswith a renewable mph-ft;

Fig. 5 being a view on a reduced scale ot'our improved shoe withthe'heelattached.

"We may inake'ourimproved heel of suiticient size for the entire heelstructure. of the shoe, or we may make the same -to be applied-to a shoeon'the usual heel base, the latter-being s'howninFigL5. In either eventthe advantages oit-ourinvention are obtained and varying resiliency inthe heel and the orthopedic leature in-the'shoe are secured.

Asshown inthedrawings, our improved heel-comprises a resilientportion,-illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, as comprising the outersection of 'the completed heel l, and the tread surfaceortoplift portion2, the latter extending entirely .acrossthe width of the heel, andtaking the .place of "the toplitt. WVhenmade of rubber orrubbercompound, this portion of th'e heel-ispreferably molded with arecess or groove 3, and preferably with'a beveled "face4;,'to which isapplied the relatively non-resilientport-ion. 5. The latter isofsuitable 'size'and form to fit in the recess and preferably alsois'applied thereto while the portions 1 and 2 of greater resiliency arestill in [plastic or tacky condition, so that the non-resilient member 5willadhere thereto. It'is teasible to utilize on the the member 5 as aloose part of the mold if desired, and thus complete the melding ot theheel at one operation. This nonresilient section 5 being of leather,fiber, vulcanized rubber or the wood or other --rlatively hardsubstances, and 'being positioned on the inside of the shoe, produces anarch supporting effect of an orthopedic heel or shoe, as above brieflyexplained by decreasing the resiliency of the entire .heel. Furthermore,the protecting layer of the resilient portion :2 protects this entirenonresilient portion 5, and thus the full effect of the ordinary rubberor rubber-compound toplift is obtained. It will be appreciated thatourimproved heels will be made right and left for application to thecorresponding shoes of a pair, and'ofsuitable size-and in desireddesign, presenting the exterior appearance of finished heel structures,without distortions of thickness, length er the like.

In Fig. 4 we have illustrated the formation of our heel wherein *thenon-resilient part '5 is built up in a laminated 'heel,the resilientportionof the heelcomprising-two or more layers or sections 6, 6, and ;afull toplil't layer 7, the latter being of several layers if desired. Inthis form of our improved heel,the toplift layer? canbe renewed at anytime without unduly disturbingthe portions 5*and-6, and thus facilitatesrepairing of the shoe at minimum expense and long usefulness in theheel.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the shoe 10 may have a. usual heel base 12, to-which our improved 'heel isapp'lied. "In this-shoe-the inside edge 'isconsideredas in view, thatis, this shoe being-theright shoe ofa pair.Therefore the non-resilient section5 and the portion'EZ orseparate'topliftlayer 7 appears. In the act of walking the wearerwillobtain the benefit of an arch supporting and an orthopedic featurealong the inneredge of the arch of each feet, through thenoncompressibility of the layer '5 relatively with the outer portion ofthe heel, asabove-ex- .plained.

'Our improved form of heel can be attached by any desired means, or bythe 'usualheel nailing operation, preferably the 11011-16Slll611tportion 5-being of a substance readily penetrable by shoe nails. Furthermore, the nail retaining Washers can be molded 'in this heel if desired.Thus we obtaiirthe advantages of a molda'bleas-well asfreenailingreSilient shoe heel, and with the non-resilient portiongivinga greater tenacity to the heel attaching nails, eliminating thedangero'f the heel being torn oti-a diii iculty wit-h present all-rubber*heels.

ur improved. shoe andnovel heel can be manufactured without unusualexpense, extramachines, or diliiculthand operations, and thus can beeconomically hiade by present modern shoe factory labor and .vorkingconditions, and minimum expense for work and material.

@ur invention is further described and defined in the 't'orm of claimsas follows: 1 1. An improved arch-supporting boot 101' methods,

shoe, having a heel structure formed With a portion being on the insideedge of the shoe, relatively resilient section on the outer edge incombination with a resilient toplift cover- 10 of the heel, and arelatively non-resilient ing both said portions.

section on the inner edge of. each heel, in In testimony whereof, Wehave signed our combination With a resilient toplift section. names tothis specification.

2. An improved heel for boots and shoes, having a resilient cushioningportion, and FRANK R. BRIGGS. a non-resilient portion, saidnon-resilient GEORGE T. MoLEOD.

